Only time will tell
by Moonlit Despair
Summary: Lacus has a disease, a disease that has captured many other people, but she is the only one with an alright condition. Kira is a young teenager, and he meets Lacus one day, saving her from a pervert. Will they meet again and will new love spring forth?
1. Chapter 1

**C h a p t e r o n e **

The pink haired sighed, sitting in her hospital bed, bored. Her friend, former fiancé Athrun Zala had just left. She was pretty lonely but Athrun did keep his promise to visit her whenever she had to go to the hospital.

"Miss Lacus… I'm sorry but you'll have to get your blood tests re-done, we need more of it so we can try and find a cure for this…" The nurse said reluctantly.

Lacus smiled, "that's alright… I'd be glad to help, since there's some patients in this hospital with worse conditions than mine… I want to do the best I can to help them…"

The nurse smiled gently, "you have a kind heart," she said, then pulled out a needle. Lacus hated those pointy things. She closed her eyes gently when she felt the needle pierce her fair skin, and winced slightly when she felt blood being sucked out of her veins.

"There… All finished! Thank you, Miss Lacus," the woman said and left the room.

The pink haired sighed, looking to the bed beside hers and saw a young girl, probably the same age as her, laying down on her back as she usually had been every time Lacus saw her. Dark coloring outlined the poor girl's eyes, and she needed an oxygen mask to be able to breathe.

Lacus' eyes softened, the girl had the same disease as her, but she had it far more worse. She was blonde, and Lacus wondered what her eyes looked like, she had never seen them before. She heard people calling around, and talking about her, her name was Stellar.

Sometimes, the girl's heart would give out, so they needed to rush to her aid. Sometimes, she would have nightmares and would call out for 'Neo' and tears would come from her eyes and she would scream, "no! I don't want to die! This place is scary…!" Then she would pass out.

The pink haired sighed, she wanted to help Stellar more than she wanted her own life to be saved. She stretched, looking out the window beside her, and saw that it was a beautiful day. She longed to go out, but knew that she had to get more tests done.

She was the only patient in the entire hospital who had the right condition for testing, the other patients wouldn't help the doctors at all in their research.

"Miss Lacus?"

Lacus turned to the door and saw the nurse once more, she smiled, "yes?"

"You have a visitor, Cagalli Yula Athha is here to see you."

Lacus nodded, then saw the blonde tomboy appear from behind the door, the nurse leaving just as soon as she appeared.

"Hey Lacus! How have you been?"

"Pretty well, the pain comes and goes, but it's fine now, I'm just here to do some testing, that's all."

Cagalli nodded, "that's good to hear, when are you allowed out?"

Lacus sighed, "not any time soon… But I'll call you as soon as I am permitted ok?"

The blonde nodded, "alright."

"Neo… Neo… Save… Stellar…" The girl from the bed beside Lacus' murmured in her unconscious state.

Cagalli blinked, "what's up with that girl? She looks really sick…" she said, feeling sorry for her. Lacus looked away, "Stellar… she has the same disease as I do apparently, and I have never seen her when she wasn't unconscious, except for when she's panicking, but I'm not sure if that counts…"

The blonde nodded, "yeah… Poor girl…" She tried to make the mood of the conversation lighter, "so! Athrun and I are going to throw a party for you when you're discharged from the hospital!"

Lacus smiled, "oh, there's no need for that."

"But we insist! We all miss you! ….And we are having that party whether you like it or not!" She said stubbornly with a stern look on her face.

The pink haired laughed, "alright, alright."

"Oh! And you'll get to meet my brother! He's moving here soon so I'd like you to meet him!"

"You mean that Kira guy you're always talking about?"

Cagalli nodded, "yeah, he claims he's the older twin, but there's just no way."

Lacus laughed, "yeah… I guess."

The ember eyed grinned, "well, see you later, Lacus, I don't want to wear you out right now… Bye!"

Lacus waved as Cagalli left the room, the smile fading. She loved all her friends, but she hoped that she would make it from this disease to be able to spend the rest of her life with them.

A slight breeze came through the window, and Lacus sighed, feeling it wash through her hair lightly.

She got up from her bed, no way is she going to waste such a perfect day, she'd only step out for awhile, so that they wouldn't get mad at her.

She slipped into clothes that seemed suitable to wear outside of the hospital, her pink sundress. Walking out of the hospital and looking towards the ground as if she were just a visitor, Lacus stepped out the doors with happy relief.

_'Well… they can't blame me for wanting to go outside… Look at the day! Besides, they should get better security, I wonder if they found that note on my bed yet… Oh well!'_

She walked around, the sun's rays warming her pale skin, and the comfortable breeze blowing her pink locks slightly with it. She decided to go to the beach, which wasn't so far away, and it appeared to have nobody really on it, she was just going to be by herself.

Lacus sat down on the sand comfortably, closing her eyes as the ocean air surrounded her. She laid down on her back, staring up at the blue sky, looking at the puffy, white clouds.

"Well, what's a pretty young lady doing here by herself?" She heard a raspy voice call.

She sat up, seeing a man staring at her with a smile on his lips. Not one to be warming up to, mind you. She smiled, "oh, just relaxing, and you?"

"Women hunting… but there appears to be only you on the beach, hmm?"

Lacus felt weird vibes coming from this man, and had the instinct to jump up, and run as far away as she could from him, but instead, calmly standing on her feet.

"I see… Well, it's been nice talking to you, and good luck on your… women hunting," she said as kindly as she could, then began to walk away. As she had hoped wouldn't happen, a hand grabbed her wrist roughly.

"Let go of me! What are you doing!" She shouted, struggling against him.

The man's grip tightened, "hehe… you look like fun…" he whispered.

Lacus screamed, trying to pull her arms away from his grasp. Her eyes widened when she felt that familiar pain fill her entire body. Her limbs gave out and she cried out in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The man stepped away from her trembling form, seeing another boy running towards Lacus, "I… I didn't do it!" He ran way after shouting that, leaving Lacus alone.

The pink haired clutched her head, "that pain…! Make it go away!" She screamed, not noticing a figure crouched down in front of her and holding her shoulders to steady her.

"Are you alright? Miss?"

Lacus winced, "it hurts…" she murmured, then suddenly felt the pain fade away as quickly as it came. She opened her wet eyes, looking up at the figure in front of her, wincing slightly every time a new wave of pain hit her.

"Are … Are you alright, Miss?" The boy asked. Lacus didn't know what to say._ Was_ she alright? She couldn't tell the boy she was out of the hospital right now without permission, "y-yeah… I'm fine… I… guess that man … hurt me somewhere…" she murmured.

Only when she looked at him a second time she noticed his features. He had brown, slightly spiked hair, naturally spiked probably. He had also amethyst eyes and a nicely tanned body. She found herself blushing when she realized she had been staring.

"May I check? I want to make sure you're alright… you seemed hurt pretty badly…" he said with such concern that it surprised her.

"No no… It's alright, really, I'll be fine. I'll ask my Mother to help me," she lied, knowing full well that her mother had passed away several years ago.

"Alright…" he helped her to her feet, brushing her off gently, "you sure you're going to be alright?"

She nodded, "thank you … I am grateful of your concern."

The boy smiled, "no problem… by the way, my name is Kira… and your name is..?" She recognized that name, but had no idea where she heard it, she tried thinking about whoever she knew owned the name 'Kira' ... but realized she knew nobody with that name.

"Lacus."

Kira smiled at her, "nice name, sounds lovely."

She smiled gently, "yours too."

"Well, I'd better be getting on my way now, and miss?"

She looked at him, "yes?"

"Please don't walk around by yourself, it's very dangerous around here," he said. She nodded in response, smiling, "thank you, Kira."

The two went their separate ways, and Lacus made her way back to the hospital, hoping that the nurse wouldn't be mad at her.

Lacus turned, looking over her shoulder, wondering if she'd ever see that boy again. She hoped she would.

_'Only time will tell…'_


	2. Chapter 2

**C h a p t e r t w o**

**"** Alright, good luck, Miss Lacus, thank you for helping us out in our research," the nurse said, bidding her farewell.

The pink haired smiled, "no problem…." she said, then left the hospital, her chauffeur picking her up in the limousine. Her father had been really wealthy, and she was the heir to all of it, and was now the chairwoman of the Clyne Faction, which had many companies, mostly of clothing, and even produced war material at one time, but she shut it down after he had passed away.

"Welcome back, Miss Lacus, we've received invitation from Miss Cagalli about the party, and you are to get dressed as soon as we arrive home, then go to her mansion," her chauffeur, Jason said.

She smiled, "alright, I guess Cagalli would be angry if I didn't show up for my own party," she said sheepishly.

Jason smiled, "well, hurry and dress for the occasion, Miss Lacus, I'll await you in the limousine."

The door opened for her to leave, and she left, after saying thank you to the door man. She climbed the stairs to her room, and opened her large closet, then picked out something that she decided would be for the occasion. She wore her pink dress with a lavender sash, and lace at the ends, it was sleeveless as well, and with ribbons circling her arms in a flowing manner.

Lacus walked down the fleet of stairs, then went back into the limousine, "well, I'm ready Jason, how do I look?"

"Graceful and beautiful as you always do," he said, smiling.

They arrive in the Athha mansion, and was greeted by Cagalli's door man first, then the doors opened, revealing the blonde smiling at her.

"Welcome back Lacus! You look well!"

She smiled, "you do too, and I feel much better."

"A lot of people came, A LOT of people," she said, "all just for you! And we got all your favorite foods out too!"

Lacus smiled, "thank you."

"Hi Lacus! Welcome!" Miriallia greeted, along with Shinn, Athrun, Yzak, Fllay, Shiho, and Dearka.

"Wow… I had no idea you guys were coming! I thought it would've been a small get-together," she said.

"Oh, this isn't all of us, Murrue, Mwu, Andrew, and even Sai came," Athrun said.

"Don't forget my little brother, Kira."

Lacus' eyes widened with realization, _'Kira? So THAT'S where I heard it from! Is he Cagalli's brother? Or… was it just a guy with the same name…? I hope not…'_

"Hey there, and I'm not the younger twin, silly."

She looked up and saw Kira at the stair case, looking down at them. Her eyes widened and she smiled, "Kira! So it is you!"

Cagalli blinked, "you two know each other already?"

Kira smiled, "yeah, I apparently saved her from getting attacked by a perverted man yesterday, and now I know that he didn't really hurt you… did he?"

Lacus looked down, "no…"

Cagalli frowned, "what?! You left the hospital?!"

The pink haired smiled nervously, "well… just for a bit…" she murmured.

The blonde became furious, "don't you ever do that again! You see what almost happened? You almost lost your virginity unwillingly! That's scary! And lucky Kira was there, you know that disease of yours takes affect at any moment!"

Kira stepped in, "now, now, don't be so hard on the girl, who could blame her? Did you see the weather yesterday? It was marvelous!"

Cagalli sighed, "yeah I guess… just don't do that again!"

Miriallia smiled, then pulled out a book, "I made a scrap book of the best pictures I've taken this year, they aren't the original photo's, but it's still great, most of them are all of you're friends, you are in a lot of them."

Lacus flipped through the pages, then stopped at a picture of her and her father, her eyes softening, "thank you… Milly… it's beautiful…"

Cagalli grinned, "this is mine, it's a ring, you're supposed to give it to the one you love, and if they accept it, then they love you back," she said, referring to what Athrun gave her once before.

She smiled, taking the ring, "I'll give it to someone special… but I haven't met him yet… you're lucky, Cagalli," she said.

The blond grinned, "you'll find him soon enough."

Kira walked towards her, "well, even though I haven't known you long, I got you this," he said, then held out a hair clip. It had two over lapping curves, and it was golden and shiny, sparkling.

She gasped, "wow… thank you…" She said, and immediately put it on, "it's beautiful…"

After receiving presents, Lacus' chauffeur put them in the trunk of the car, while she enjoyed the rest of the party.

Kira was often with Fllay, and Lacus wondered why, when Cagalli filled her in that Fllay was Kira's girlfriend.

"I don't see what he sees in her though, he's much too good for her, I mean, sometimes she can be quite spoiled and whiny… and when she sees him with other girls, she get really jealous."

"Well… I don't see why you should judge her, try to get to know her, Kira after all sees her for something."

Cagalli sighed, "why do I bother? From what I've seen her as, I don't ever want to get to know her," she said.

"So I guess Kira invited her?"

"Yep."

"Well, I'm going to go confront her, come if you wish," she said, then walked over to Kira and Fllay. 

"Hi there, thank you for coming," she greeted.

Fllay smiled, "no problem, any friend of Kira's is a friend of mine, how are you?"

Lacus smiled warmly, "I'm good, despite all this heck, I feel better than how people think I might be feeling right now."

Kira smiled, "yeah, she's actually lucky, I've seen other patients in the hospital, they don't look to good."

Lacus looked away, an image of Stellar in her mind, "yeah…"

Kira noticed this, but decided to talk to her about it later, they chatted a bit more, until Lacus walked back to Cagalli.

"So? How is she? Is she how I described her?" Cagalli asked.

"Not at all, she's very nice," Lacus said, smiling, hiding the fact that the smile that Fllay gave her seemed fake and she suddenly began to latch onto Kira.

"Well, it's getting late, I better go," she said, bidding everyone a farewell, then leaving. Before she got into the limousine, she heard a voice call her.

"Lacus! … Miss Lacus!"

She turned and saw Kira running to her, "Kira..?"

"Uhm… I was... I was wondering if you'd like to come to the beach with us tomorrow, Cagalli I guess had forgotten to ask you," he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. 

She smiled, "of course, I'd love to come," she said, "and Kira?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you… I'm glad I met someone like you," she said.

Immediately, the boys face turned red, and she giggled, thinking of how cute it looked. She entered her limousine, "thank you, Kira, I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

He smiled, "yeah, and I'm glad I met you as well, bye."

She left, with Kira and the rest to clean up the remnants of the party. "Well, she's a nice a nice person," Kira said, smiling to himself. Fllay noticed this, but forced a smile, "yes... she is."

_'Is she going to be a problem...?' _Fllay thought to herself, but shook off the thought, continuing to sweep up the floor, ridding it of dirt and grime.

-------

Lacus brushed her long, pink locks, sitting on front of her mirror, staring at her reflection. She wondered why a lot of girls wanted to be her, when she was far from perfect.

Sure, she heard she was pretty, but she didn't think her personality was all that great. Wasn't it like everybody else's?

Removing the hair clip that Kira gave her, she set it down on the table, placing it down carefully as though it were fragile.

She sighed, then climbed into her large, silk and comfortable bed, pulling the covers over her, then closing her eyes. An image of Kira entered her mind. When he saved her from that pervert, and when he smiled at her. He had such a nice smile.

Her eyes opened, why was she thinking like this? _'No,'_ she thought to herself, _'he has a girlfriend already...'_

She sighed, turning over onto her side, how she longed to have someone to love, but she knew she would find someone much, much longer than she had hoped.

_'When will I find my Mr. Right?' _


	3. Chapter 3

**C h a p t e r th r e e **

Lacus fitted into her bikini comfortably, tying her hair up and packing for the beach. She had a beach ball that looked like her Mr. Pink haro, but it was three times that actual size. Her maids helped her pack as well, packing extra medicine just in case she would feel pain during the day.

"Miss Lacus, how many towels would you like to bring?"

"One's fine Lauretta," she replied, pulling a skirt over her bikini bottom.

Her maid folded a towel and placed it neatly in Lacus' pink beach bag, and then packed something else.

"Whats that?" Lacus asked curiously.

"Oh, just a sun hat just in case it gets hot there, or would you rather wear it now?"

Lacus took the hat and put it on, the shook her head, placing it back in the back, "I'll wear it later, thank you."

The phone rang, and another maid stepped in, "Miss Cagalli is on the phone."

The pink haired took the phone and nodded thankfully to the maid, "hello Cagalli."

_"Hi Lacus! You ready? Kira and I are going to pick you up in about half an hour if you're not finished."_

"Oh, I'm ready, you can come now if you want," she replied.

_"Oh, alright, oh! And we're inviting Milly, Dearka, Athrun, and Yzak, okay? Kira wants Fllay too."_

"Alright, I don't mind."

_"Kay, see you later!" _

Lacus gave the phone back the maid and she exited, along with Lauretta. Lacus went over to her mirror, picking up the hair clip Kira had given her yesterday, pinning one side of her bangs. She stared at her reflection for a moment, surprised that the hair clip made a difference actually.

Unknowingly to her, Cagalli and Kira were already in her mansion, and Cagalli popped her head inside the room, "hi Lacus! Wow you look nice!" she said.

Lacus jumped, then saw her blond friend, sighing, "Cagalli, you mustn't sneak up on me like that..." she said.

Kira poked his head in too, "wow, nice room."

Immediately, Lacus blushed delicately, only a little so it was undetectable. Cagalli walked in, "you should really wear that hair clip more often, you look really nice in it," she commented.

Lacus nodded, smiling, "thank you."

Kira walked over to her too, "yeah, you look nice, glad you like my present," he said with a smile.

She blushed slightly, but hid it well, "thank you..." she replied, looking to the ground.

Cagalli sighed, grabbing Kira and Lacus' arms, "let's go already!" Lacus grabbed her beach bag, bid farewell to her maids that she passed, and let Cagalli shove both her and Kira into her sports car.

"You two stay in the back! Athrun's sitting up here with me and we'll meet the others at the beach," she said.

Lacus nodded, giggling quietly to herself at how obvious it was that Cagalli liked Athrun. And so, they drove off towards the beach. Lacus stared out the window as they drove, her hair wisping about but she didn't care. She didn't know that Kira's eyes were on her, and in awe.

_'What I'm I thinking? How can I be staring at her when I have Fllay...?'_ He thought, then sighed, prying his eyes off Lacus and staring in the other direction.

Cagalli glanced back at them ever few moments, seeing Kira glance at Lacus, and Lacus sometimes glance at Kira. She smiled to herself, then stopped by Athrun's mansion, beeping the horn.

"Come on you fool!" she called out to the mansion.

Athrun stepped out of it, carrying a large duffel bag. Kira sweat dropped, "gee Athrun... it's not like we're going to kill someone out there, you only needed to bring necessary things," he said.

The blue haired got into the cars passenger seat, "shut up, mother made me bring all this extra stuff 'just in case'... I have like ten towels in here."

They laughed, then continued on the road, Cagalli blushing every time she and Athrun's eyes would meet.

He turned to the back seats, "oh Lacus?"

"Hm?" she turned her attention to him, blinking.

"You brought your medicine, right?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. 

She nodded, then smiled, "thank you for your concern, but yes, I brought it."

He nodded, "good," then turned back to the wind shield.

As if on cue, Lacus felt a small wave of pain in her body, then searched through her bag quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself. The pain was increasing, but she bit her lower lip, feeling her face go pale.

She finally found her medicine, then took a few pills before injecting her leg with a needle. Leaning back against the car seat, she closed her _eyes, 'whew.. that was _close..' she thought, then looked around, only seeing Kira looking at her, worry in his eyes.

She smiled, nodding, telling him she was fine. He nodded hesitantly, then inched closer to her to keep and eye on her.

Cagalli frowned, seeing traffic ahead of her, "dammit! Looks like we're going to be in here for awhile..." she muttered in frustration.

Lacus closed her eyes upon hearing that, "guess I'll sleep then.." she murmured, shifting in her seat to find a comfortable position, finally finding one, but to her surprise, on Kira's shoulder.

She looked up at him, and he just smiled, nodding to tell her it was alright. She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding, then closed her eyes, leaning against him. Cagalli and Athrun looked behind them, seeing the two, then looked to each other and snickered at how cute they looked. They didn't dare say anything, or else they'd ruin the two's 'moment.'

--------

"We're here!!" Cagalli shouted, jumping from her convertible, Athrun opening the door and stepping out. That was a long drive, and he just needed to stretch his legs.

"Hey guys, you're awfully late," Miriallia stated as she, Dearka, Yzak and Fllay walked to them.

Lacus and Kira were asleep in the backseat, and when Fllay saw, her anger flared, "Kira!" she shrieked, awakening the two.

Kira blinked a couple times, looking around, then looked over to Lacus, seeing her rubbing her eyes sleepily. Then, he saw Fllay, her fists clenched, her eyes filled with rage.

"Kira! How could you!" she then ran away just before tears fell from her eyes.

Kira hopped from the car, then ran after her, leaving Lacus and the group alone. Lacus got out of the car, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"I didn't mean to cause a ruckus," she said guiltily.

Athrun sighed, "don't worry, that usual Fllay for you," he said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Wait! Fllay...! I can explain!"

"No! I'm tired of you always being with other girls!"

"Other girls? I'm not with other girls! What makes you say that!"

Fllay looked at him, "you were with Lacus just now!"

"But.. I wasn't! It was nothing like that!" he shouted desperately. But to himself, was it anything at all romantic? Sure, when he awoke a couple times and found her on his shoulder, he blushed immensely and rested his head atop hers before falling asleep again.

"Kira.. If you want to make it up to me... you have to stay away from Lacus from now on, keep away from her," Fllay said.

Kira looked at Fllay in shock, "what?"

"You heard me."

He couldn't believe Fllay was asking this of him, it went too far. He sighed, but he didn't want to lose Fllay, so he nodded, "alright..."

He saw her lip curve in a smile, "good." She placed a kiss on his lips, and felt him give in to it, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back.

Lacus sat alone on her beach blanket, feeling terribly guilty about the whole Kira and Fllay thing even though she was told it wasn't her fault.

Seeing Kira and Fllay approaching them, hand in hand, she got up and ran up to them, wringing her hands nervously, "I'm sorry about everything Fllay! Is everything better now?" she asked.

Fllay nodded, "yes, as a matter of fact it is," she said smugly.

Lacus looked to Kira, her eyes shining brightly, "really? I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused," she said.

Kira looked to her, then nodded, the couple walking past Lacus as if she was nothing. Lacus blinked, turning and wondering why Kira was ignoring her.

Cagalli walked up to Lacus, "I bet you that Fllay told him to stay away from you," she said.

"But why?"

The blond looked at her, raising an eyebrow, "isn't it obvious? It's because she jealous!"

"Jealous? Of me? But why?"

Cagalli shrugged, "come on, let's sit down," she said, and walked over to the blanket, sitting down. Lacus followed, watching Athrun, Dearka, Kira, and Yzak play water volleyball. Fllay was sitting alone on her own blanket, tanning in the sun.

Kira glanced to Lacus, seeing her sad expression and felt immediately, but he had no choice, or else he would lose Fllay.

Lacus and Cagalli were talking, Lacus rubbing tan oil on her body to keep from getting a burn. She put her sun hat on as well, nodding in agreement to Cagalli, who was fussing about some sales clerk that would keep making her try on dresses last week.

Suddenly, Lacus paused, her face paled. Cagalli blinked, looking at her, "Lacus?... what is it?" She waved a hand in front of Lacus' face, "Lacus? Speak to me!"

Athrun heard Cagalli's cry, and turned to the two, noticing something was wrong and stopped splashing in the water with the guys. He ran over to Lacus, a worried expression on his face, "Lacus!" He fell to his knees in front of her, grabbing hold of her shoulders, shaking her, "Lacus! Answer me!"

Dearka and Yzak ran to Athrun, Kira following despite Fllay's orders, it was an emergency!

"Lacus..! Lacus! Are you alright?!" Athrun shouted, his voice desperate. Lacus felt pain surface in her body, making her body numb, the blood draining from her face. Athrun's face in front of hers was fuzzy, she could barely feel his hands upon her shoulders.

Athrun cursed under his breath, seeing her usually bright blue eyes turn pale as well, her pupil disappearing.

"Cagalli! The medicine!" he shouted, looking to the blond who was right beside Lacus, concern etched onto her features.

She nodded, and quickly grabbed Lacus' beach bag, looking through it and found her medical bag, tossing it to Athrun. Athrun caught it, then opened it up, "check her breathing!" Kira could feel his heart racing, but yet he couldn't move, he was frozen.

Cagalli put here ear near Lacus' mouth and nose, checking to see if she could feel her breath. Nothing.

"She's not..! Hurry!"

Athrun pulled out the needle, and plunged it into her leg, the liquid pouring into her veins. Lacus suddenly took a gasp of air as if she had been holding her breath for a long time, the color on her cheeks returning and her eyes coming back to normal.

The blue haired breathed a sigh of relief, putting the needle down before grabbing the panting girl and pulling her into a hug, "you scared me there for a second..." he murmured.

Lacus smiled weakly, "sorry to have worried you..."

Dearka and Yzak both let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding, "whew... that was close.. I was so worried.." Dearka muttered. Yzak 'hmmphed' and glared at Lacus, "don't _ever_ do that again! I sure don't want to feel petrified in worry ever again!"

Lacus smiled, pulling away from Athrun, "I'm fine, I'm fine.. sorry to have wasted your time," she said, guilty ridden.

Athrun frowned at her, "wasted our time?! You almost died!"

She looked down, not replying for she didn't know what to say. Athrun sighed, patting her head, "well, I'm glad your okay now, you sure had me scared there," he turned to the guys, "lets go back and play... I'm sure she needs her air."

They walked away, Kira hesitating, he wanted to go see if Lacus was alright, and stared at her, but knew Fllay would dump him for sure. Lacus' and his eye contact met for a second, then she looked away, still feeling guilty. Kira sighed, then walked back to the guys.

The sun was setting, and Lacus and Cagalli were both playing volleyball, Fllay was _still_ lying down on that blanket, tanning even when the sun was barely there anymore.

The guys were eating an ice cream, watching Lacus and Cagalli play volleyball. So far, it was a tie, and Lacus was sweating, trying to keep up with her blond friends spikes. The two sighed, "let's call it quits... this game will never end," Cagalli said.

Lacus nodded, then sighed, sitting next to Athrun. The blue haired obviously still had affection for the pink haired, for their relationship was called to an end, Lacus' father had died and told her to marry whomever she chose. She did not choose Athrun, it was an arranged marriage.

Athrun looked to her, "are you feeling better?"

She smiled, "yes, yes, don't worry. You worry too much," she said.

He frowned, "hard not to when one of my best friends is..." he trailed off, only to have his sentence filled in for him, "dying?" Lacus said, her soft voice saying one of the worst words possible. Athrun looked to her, seeing her solemn expression, "Lacus..."

She shook her head, replacing her solemn face with a cheerful one, "never mind, I guess we'd better get going back home, hm?"

Kira, who was sitting next to Athrun, pretending to mind his own business happened to overheard the conversation. He looked down, for some reason wanting to talk to the pink haired more than anything. He was supposed to be polite with her, for she was his sisters best friend. Yet, he thought of her as his own friend as well.

Cagalli sighed, "okay, Athrun, Lacus, Kira, in my car, let's go home," she said.

The three stood, and followed Cagalli to her car. Fllay looked sharply to Kira, warning him with her eyes, and he nodded wearily. Athrun took the passenger seat, much to Kira's dismay, and he hesitantly sat next to Lacus in the backseat. She wasn't even looking at him, staring out of the car.


	4. Chapter 4

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Lacus refused to look in Kira's direction, when she talked to Cagalli or Athrun, she wouldn't look away from the window. Athrun and Cagalli quieted when they noticed Lacus' rare, depressed mood. They had a suspicion that it was about Kira, and Cagalli glanced at her brother quickly, careful not to glance too long before they got into a car accident.

Athrun turned on the radio, trying to ease the tension in the air. Lacus' eyes widened when she recognized the song playing.

Cagalli looked back to Lacus smiling, but looked back onto the road, "I haven't heard you sing in a long time, Lacus, when did you last perform?"

The pink haired smiled, "not long ago actually, I guess they must've taped it," she said. Athrun smiled at her, "you really need to have a concert soon, with that Meer Campbell girl, you could sing a duet."

Lacus nodded, "yeah, Meer Campbell would like to sing with me," she sighed, "after all, she's my biggest fan."

Athrun nodded, "yeah, she sounds very similar to you, and it's said that she was thinking of getting surgery to look like you."

Lacus frowned, "I wouldn't want anyone changing themselves to be like me..." she looked down, "I don't see why anybody would want to be me..."

The blonde grinned, "because, you are Lacus Clyne, one who is admired by a lot of people too," she noticed her brother looking at Lacus, "you sing amazingly and you're also a great role model."

Lacus didn't say anymore, and looked back out the window, deep in thought. She glanced at Kira through the corner of her eye when she felt eyes on her. Amethyst eyes stared back at her, much to her surprise, and quickly looked away.

Athrun broke the sudden silence, "so, are you going to the cherry blossom festival next week, Lacus?"

"I guess so, depends if I have to have more tests done.." she murmured, and Cagalli frowned, "don't say such things! You're definitely going and that is that!"

She laughed, "alright... I'll see."

The blonde smirked, "besides... I have a friend of mine that you'd probably like to meet, he's a great guy you know."

"You're setting her up with your friend?" Athrun questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah so? She's not engaged to you anymore so she has a right to date," she replied, sticking her tongue out at her blue haired friend.

Athrun sighed, "well I hope you know what you're doing... I don't know anybody good for Lacus yet, we have a lot of perverted friends remember?"

Cagalli shrugged, "yeah... Kira's taken so I guess he's out of the question, so we'll have to set her up with that Kai guy..."

"Kai?" Lacus blinked, "sorry Cagalli but I'm not interested in dating anyone right now."

"Nonsense! You'll at least meet him!"

Lacus sighed, resting her head on her hand, propping her elbow, "I guess so, but I cant guarantee that I'll like him..."

Kira remained silent throughout the entire conversation, after promising Fllay that he wouldn't talk or be near Lacus. He liked Fllay, and he didn't want to lose her, but sometime he didn't understand his girlfriends jealousy, even when he was only talking with a girl about homework or something.

He glanced at the pink haired beside him again, and saw her looking at her hands which would folded on her lap. He felt extremely guilty for ignoring her, but he had no choice. He wanted to apologize to her and try to be her friend for some reason, but he couldn't, Fllay would dump him for sure.

They reached Lacus' mansion, and Lacus got out of the car, then turned back to them, "would anybody like to stay awhile?" she offered, avoiding Kira's eyes.

Cagalli grinned, and nodded, hopping out of the car, Athrun and Kira following. Kira was hesitant as he walked towards the mansion with the others, and Athrun looked at him, a cold gaze in his eyes, "what? Have to run home to Fllay so soon?"

Kira's eyes widened, "Athrun..." he had no idea Athrun would say something like that. Unless...

FLASHBACK

_"__Wait! Fllay...! I can explain!"_

_"No! I'm tired of you always being with other girls!"_

_"Other girls? I'm not with other girls! What makes you say that!"_

_Fllay looked at him, "you were with Lacus just now!"_

_"But.. I wasn't! It was nothing like that!" he shouted desperately. But to himself, was it anything at all romantic? Sure, when he awoke a couple times and found her on his shoulder, he blushed immensely and rested his head atop hers before falling asleep again._

_"Kira.. If you want to make it up to me... you have to stay away from Lacus from now on, keep away from her," Fllay said._

_Kira looked at Fllay in shock, "what?"_

_"You heard me."_

_He couldn't believe Fllay was asking this of him, it went too far. He sighed, but he didn't want to lose Fllay, so he nodded, "alright..." He turned to the corner, and saw a wisp of blue hair disappear behind it, he didn't know who or what it was, but thought it was probably nothing. _

_He saw her lip curve in a smile, "good." She placed a kiss on his lips, and felt him give in to it, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back. He saw in the corner of his eye emerald eyes watching them with pure disgust._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

He looked down, feeling completely guilty for abiding to his girlfriends orders. When he thought about it, it made him look like a toy or something. Shrugging the thought off, he continued walking with them, and entered the large mansion.

"Miss Lacus! We've prepared your bath-" her maid greeted, but paused when she saw company, "oh excuse me, I didn't know you would have company."

Lacus smiled, "that's alright, I'll go ahead and take my bath, please entertain my guests," she said kindly, and headed up the stairs.

The three companions went into the gaming room, and chowed down on the food offered, and it wasn't long before Kira had to go to the bathroom. He smiled nervously, "uhm.. excuse me.. where is the bathroom?" he asked the maid.

She smiled, "upstairs, it's pretty easy to find, it says washroom on the door."

He nodded thankfully, and hurried up the stairs. Once he set foot on the upstairs level, his eyes widened at the many doors and corridors it held. He only recognized one room; and it was Lacus'. He sighed, remembering his promise to Fllay, but he really had to go to the bathroom, and how was Fllay to know that he would be just asking for the direction to the bathroom?

Knocking on the door lightly, he blinked, hearing a soft lullaby sounding from the room next door. He turned the handle gently, and cracked the door open a little bit. His eyes widened when he realized too late that he heard the splashing of water.

"Kira...?"

He blushed immensely, looking away, "erm... sorry Lacus!" he apologized, "but where's the bathroom in this place?" He tried to force the image of Lacus naked out of his mind, but failed miserably, his face getting hotter and hotter.

"Oh, it's the door across this one, and it says bathroom on it, so you can't miss it," she said casually, as if nothing happened.

Kira nodded, "thank you, Lacus," he said and closed the door behind him, mentally slapping his forehead when he saw the bathroom directly in front of him.

- - -

Lacus sighed, her nervous self coming forth. She had tried to hide it when Kira appeared at her door, to act like there wasn't anything wrong with him seeing her naked. Inside, she had squealed and hid herself, but she just turned slowly and looked at him.

She blushed. Kira had seen her naked just now. Sighing, she sunk into the water, remembering today's events. Kira with Fllay. She never really thought Cagalli's brother would ignore someone because of his girlfriends wishes, from what Cagalli had told him.

She got up, stepping out of the bathtub and wrapping her pink towel around her wet form. Stepping out of the bathing room, she walked down the hall to her own bedroom to get dressed. She saw Kira stepping out of the bathroom just as she entered her own room, and pretended not to notice.

Slipping into her pink dress, she tied her hair into two pig tails, and put on the hair clip that Kira had given her. She picked up her pink haro, seeing it bouncing around aimlessly, screaming _'haro! haro!'_

Lacus smiled softly, then headed down the stairs with Mr. Pink bouncing behind her.

"Lacus! There you are!" Cagalli greeted, dropping the controller for the game she was playing and forgetting Athrun. She pulled Lacus aside and started speaking in a hushed tone, "did.. uhm... something happen upstairs?"

The pink haired thought about the events with Kira, but lied and shook her head, "no, why?"

"Well, he's been acting kind of strange, he came down the stairs blushing and when we asked him what was up, he stammered and turned even brighter red."

Lacus hid her reddening cheeks, turning away, "well I don't know, I guess you'll have to ask him later on," she replied to the blonde.

Cagalli shrugged, "alright," turning back to Athrun and jumping into the seat next to him to continue their game. Kira was sitting on a large window sill, watching outside. It had begun to rain, the depressing grey clouds hovering in the once blue sky. She resisted the urge to go and sit beside him, for she knew what Fllay's orders to him were.

Her haro jumped up and down, then ended up bouncing on her head. She giggled, taking it with both hands and holding Mr. Pink steady.

Athrun groaned when he lost once again to the fiery blonde beside him, then got up from the couch, smiling when he saw Lacus holding her haro. He walked up to her, "I see you still have the haro I made you," he commented.

She smiled, nodding, "I have them all, but they all stay in the play pen, Mr. Pink is the only one I carry around everywhere with me," she replied.

Athrun smiled gently, then suddenly reached his hand up and caressed her cheek, surprising everyone. Cagalli looked at them, slightly disappointed, but knew that Athrun still had feelings for Lacus. Kira watched as well, shock written in his features.

"Take care of yourself, okay? You have gotten paler since the time I've seen you in the hospital," he murmured, then leaned in, kissing her forehead lovingly, earning a gasp from Kira and Cagalli.

The blue haired then walked out of the room, probably towards the kitchen. Cagalli walked up to Lacus, "are you and Athrun getting back together?" she questioned, feeling disappointed but excited at the same time.

Lacus shook her head, "I don't love him, Cagalli. And I know you do, so I'll try to get his feelings towards you."

Cagalli smiled, "alright, thank you Lacus... I hope you find someone yourself.." she said, then turned to Kira, "come on Kira, let's go home."

Kira nodded, sighing and getting up from where he sat, seeing Lacus look at him, then look away.

"Athrun! Come on we're leaving!" Kira shouted towards where Athrun had walked off to.

"Coming!" they heard a soft reply, probably because he was all the way down the hall. Cagalli turned back to Lacus, "well, I'll see you later, Lacus." Kira only nodded in Lacus' direction, and Athrun came back to the group, then they all left.

Lacus sighed, wondering why she wanted to be Kira's friend. Stepping upstairs, she went to her room, laying down on her soft blankets. Mr. Pink was quiet suddenly, sensing Lacus deep in thought.

_'Why can't I be his friend...?'_

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	5. Chapter 5

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Lacus stepped onto the stage, the bright lights shining down on her. Her hair, left down and flowing freely and with that same hair clip that Kira had given her, pinned in her bangs. She wore an elegant, pale pink dress that reached her ankles. She couldn't see much of the crowds faces, but recognized Cagalli's bright golden hair, Athrun's dark midnight blue hair, and Kira's brown hair. She didn't want to focus too much on who else was there, as she walked towards the center of the stage, graceful and smiling gently as the crowd cheered.

"Hello everyone, I'm so glad to have you all come here, just to see me," she greeted warmly into the mic that was fitted into a headset on her. The crowd cheered in response, and she felt her eyes fill with unshed tears, realizing how much she was missing the feeling of performing and making people happy. "I'm feeling much better now, so don't worry about me, okay everyone? Just enjoy the performance!" she said, and the crowd cheered once again.

Lacus opened her mouth, her voice combining with the music that came into her ears, and sang her song, tears flowing down her cheeks. A smile appeared on her face as she sang, and then she closed her eyes.

- - - -

Kira couldn't believe it. He absolutely could not believe it. The crowd went silent as she sang, in awe at her voice. He had heard her songs before on recording, and it didn't sound as good as it did when it was live. He could see the twinkle in her eyes from the tears, and he wondered why she was crying.

The brunet wanted so badly to wipe them from her eyes, but his girlfriend sat beside him. He couldn't tell if Fllay was in awe, or fuming with jealousy. It was either one. Her song was like if you could hear heaven, that would be exactly it. It was perfect in every way.

When her pitch rose just as the music became more intense, he could hear clapping and whistling and the crowd started to cheer. Lacus opened up her eyes, smiling as she finished the song. The crowd stood up and cheered, and Lacus let another tear fall from her eyes as she saw how much people loved her song.

"Oh thank you everyone! I've missed performing for you all!" she shouted into the mic, and at once, people flooded the walkways towards the stage, eager to get an autograph from their idol. Lacus went to the edge of the stage, and bent down, pulling out a pen that she knew she would be using, and signing the many papers that had been held up to her.

Lacus glanced up a couple times from her fans, seeing Athrun and Cagalli and Kira walking up to the stage, Athrun with a smile on his face. She glanced at Kira, and blinked, seeing a grin on his face as he stared at her. _Was he smiling at me?_

She shook the thought off, then continued signing until the crowd left finally. The crowd had to be ordered by the police or something and the guards to leave. Lacus exited the stage, going to her dressing room and nodding towards her friends, telling them to meet her there.

Lacus sighed as she entered her dressing room. She had kind of missed it in there. She hadn't been in the dressing room in such a long time, and remembered every week when she would perform. She looked to the ground when her thoughts came across Kira. How she knew Fllay was his girlfriend, and what Fllay had told him. Athrun had told her what had happened later on, and it didn't really shock Lacus for some reason. Her heart sunk when she remembered the feeling of when Kira just brushed past her without a few kind, reassuring words.

Hearing soft knocking on the door, she got up from the stool-like chair in front of the lighted mirrors, and answered it. There stood her friends, Athrun, Cagalli, _Kira, _and even Fllay. Of course, Fllay had woven her arm around Kira's. Lacus smiled, "hey everyone, how was the performance?"

Cagalli grinned, "honestly, that was the best performance I've seen from you! And trust me, I've seen them ALL!" she said enthusiastically. Fllay just 'hmphed' but mumbled an agreement, while Athrun came and gave her a hug.

"You were amazing.." he murmured. Lacus smiled, "thank you," she said and pulled away, looking at Cagalli with an apology in her expression. Cagalli just smiled at her in understanding. Kira didn't say anything, as much as he wanted to compliment her performance. He loved it actually, and wished he had taped it so he could watch it over and over again. Athrun and Cagalli turned to Kira for a moment, to see if he would say anything, but just frowned and turned away again.

Lacus sighed, "well, I'm going to stay a bit, you guys can go head on home.." she said, her eyes beginning to water with tears once more. Athrun frowned, "Lacus.. what's wrong?" he questioned.

"Nothing."

They knew something was up, but knew she wasn't going to tell them. Cagalli turned back to her brother, and shook her head, then glared at Fllay briefly. Fllay didn't seem to notice, as her eyes were on something... or someone else. A man was standing near the backstage area, talking, he had bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and was quite handsome.

Kira didn't seem to notice her eyes, as they were glazed with pure lust. Lacus blinked, looking to where Fllay was looking, and sighed. _Poor Kira..._

"Uhm.. Kira? I'm going to go now... I uh... have to talk with someone," she murmured, and let go of his arm. The brown haired blinked, "I can come with you, here, I'll walk you home," he offered his arm to her once more, but she just stepped away.

"No thanks, I'll be fine, thanks anyway," she said and walked off. Everyone but Kira seemed to notice that she had followed the blonde man somewhere.

Lacus sighed, and Athrun noticed her eyes starting to dull and dark rims under her eyes. She must've washed her face, because the make up from the performance had covered the rims up. Cagalli frowned, "Lacus, I know something is wrong, and I'm not leaving okay?" she said. Athrun nodded, "I'm not either, do you need to go to the hospital?"

Immediately, Kira's attention perked to Lacus, as much as he tried to avoid it. He also noticed her skin much paler than it had been, and rims around her eyes. He frowned, concern overlapping his need to avoid Lacus.

"I could drive you if you need to, we shouldn't risk it if you're feeling sick right now," he said. Cagalli, Athrun, and Lacus looked at Kira, shocked he spoke up and even showed concern for Lacus' health.

Lacus didn't say anything, just looked down and nodded. Athrun noticed her tremble a little, "Lacus... do you have your medicine?" he questioned, and saw her shake her head slowly. He picked her up, and then held her out to Kira, "take her, I'll drive," he said. Kira picked her up from Athrun's arms, and the three headed down to the parking lot, getting in the car.

Lacus' eyes were half lidded, as she looked up to Kira, "why ..." she murmured, her voice sounding with every ounce of her emotional pain, "why are you helping...?"

Kira looked down at the girl in his arms, and smiled gently, "because I care." He felt guilt swell up inside him, knowing full well why she had asked. He had no choice but to ignore her, but now wasn't the time to ignore his girlfriends wishes. She wasn't here anyway.

Cagalli looked behind her, staring at Lacus with worry, and saw her eyes close. Sighing, she remembered the nurse telling her that Lacus would probably feel weak spells sometimes. Nothing as serious as before, but that would happen every once and awhile. She looked to Athrun driving beside her, her eyes softening. Athrun still had feelings for Lacus, but Cagalli found out just recently about her new feelings about Athrun. She would understand when Athrun treated Lacus with exceptional kindness, but wished that the affection would some day be for her.

"Athrun..."

"Hmm?"

"You're still in love with Lacus.. right?" she asked out of nowhere.

Athrun's driving didn't falter, but his composure did. His eyes narrowed after his shock wore off, "Cagalli... why are you bringing up such a thing at this time?" he asked.

The blonde sighed, "because. It's true."

The blue haired glanced at the blonde beside him, "well to answer your question, yes. I do have feelings for her. But now.." he paused, looking back to the road, "I think I have someone else in mind now..." he murmured, but loud enough for her to hear.

Cagalli looked back to him, a questioning look in her eyes, "oh.. I see." Athrun watched her through the corner of his eye, even as she looked away.

Finally arriving at the hospital, they ran in, Lacus in Kira's arms. Much to their surprise, Fllay was there too for some reason. They just brushed past her, Kira ignoring her stares when she saw Lacus in his arms. The nurse immediately placed Lacus in the room that she normally stayed in, and told everyone to wait outside while she did tests.

Kira was leaning against the wall, and Cagalli and Athrun were sitting down on the seats beside the room door, when Fllay confronted Kira.

"I thought I told you to stay away from Lacus!" She hissed, an anger stricken expression forming on her normally beautiful face.

Kira looked to her, and sighed, "Fllay, it's not the time for you to be jealous. Lacus has a serious illness and all you can think about is me making a move on her?" he questioned, a frown making its way to his lips.

"Of course! Because it's obvious you have feelings for her! You have feelings for a lot of other girls too! I bet you have feelings for your own twin _sister_!" she growled.

The brown haired snapped. Advancing towards Fllay, he glared hard at her. "Is that seriously all you can think about?! Honestly, Fllay. I've noticed you only think about yourself, in this hospital are people who are ill and sick, and our friend is one of them. We're just friends, and all you can think is that whoever I try to help thats a girl, is immediately my love interest!"

Fllay gasped at his outburst, "how dare you Kira?! Keep it up if you want to lose me!"

Kira glared at her even more, his eyes piercing through her, "I don't care anymore! We're OVER! Stay away from me and don't you dare try to come back!"

The redhead was utterly shocked at what had just happened. She had just been dumped for the first time ever. "K-Kira..."

"Go!"

With that, she spun around on her heel, and walked away briskly.

Cagalli and Athrun sat there, shocked, and Cagalli stood up. "Kira.. are.. are you okay?"

Her twin looked back at her, "I'm fine. It feels like a great weight has been lifted, that's all. I'm finally free."

Cagalli breathed a sigh of relief, "finally you got rid of her, that girl was the most annoying... EVER! She ticked me off big time..." grinning, she added, "can I beat her up?"

Kira sighed, "no... just stay away from her."

Athrun was smiling at him, and patted his shoulder, "I'm proud of you, you finally got rid of that control freak thorn in your side.."

His friend just smiled, "no problem."

Emerging from the room, the nurse sighed, "well, you can all go see her now, she's fine, her conditions just worsening slowly.." she murmured quietly. Immediately, the three looked down after hearing this. Lacus was not getting better, she was getting worse, very slowly.

Entering the room, they saw the blonde girl, Stellar, laying in a bed beside Lacus'. Cagalli sighed, then walked over to the edge of the bed, "Lacus..."

The pink haired had an oxygen mask on, and tubes attached to her wrists, but they could see color returning to her face. Apparently, if she stayed too long away from medicine and drugs that kept her condition from worsening too fast, she would worsen slowly and feel it as well. She slowly opened her eyes, then smiled, "hey guys... sorry for ruining the night.."

Cagalli frowned, "don't worry about it, at least you're okay. And guess what? It got better; Kira just broke up with Fllay just now."

The weakened girl looked over to Kira, "r-really? Isn't she upset?" she asked immediately. Even though she didn't particularly _like _Fllay, she always felt compassionate about how others felt. It was just how she was, she couldn't help it.

"It doesn't matter, she's made Kira feel like hell, so she deserves it if she is," Athrun said, his eyes narrowing.

"Athrun.. don't say such things. Nobody deserves pain..." she murmured, her voice sounding through her oxygen mask. She turned over to look at Stellar, who hadn't moved since her last visit. The girl would open her eyes sometimes, but that would be it. Today, was the most shocking though. Stellar had her eyes open, and she was blinking, looking around the room. Lacus immediately sat up, staring at the blonde girl who, miraculously, had been awake for the longest she's ever seen.

"W-Where is Stellar?.." she murmured, her voice foggy because of the oxygen mask placed over her mouth.

The four looked at the confused girl, staring with extreme amazement. Lacus stood from her bed, removing the oxygen mask as she ignored her weak state.

"Stellar.. you are in a hospital... and you are sick. You've been sick for awhile now, just like me. But yours is kind of... worse than mine. How are you feeling?" Lacus asked, hope shimmering in her eyes.

The blonde girl looked to Lacus, "Stellar feels... fine. Who are you?"

A happy gasp came from the pink haired's lips, "oh my.. Well, my name is Lacus Clyne," she introduced. Turning to her friends, "call the nurse!"

Cagalli nodded, and went into the halls, randomly calling for a nurse to come. Lacus turned back to Stellar, happiness evident in her eyes as she stared at the girl who had not once been awake since Lacus met her. (A/N: Uhm.. they probably met like.. about.. two years ago soo.. yaah its a long time.)

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Yeah.. sorry for the LOONG update. I've been kinda busy and had a bit of writers block today. DD:


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